retroman

Thanks mate

I recently went into a very large guitar shop, with a very large wad of cash, as I needed an amp.....Tried everything in the shop, including Ashdown. The bass I took with me is my much loved old faithful - Rickenbacker 4001. IMHO, I thought the Ashdown stuff sounded a little thin and weedy. I even tried the Klystron heads/combos/cabs, and couldn't get a sound that I liked. I have to admit, I was quite dissapointed, because I had gone there with half a mind to buy Ashdown. To be fair, I found the same with other makes as well. Didn't try any of the Markbass gear as I cannot stand the colour scheme! In the end, I plugged in an Ampeg SVT Classic, and that's the one that came home with me. OK, it's a huge weight to lift, but it just reinforced what I have always thought - the more features an amp has on it, the more it's trying to cover up a poor amp. The SVT all tube amp for me was no mess, no fuss, and instantly got a good sound from it. And in terms of horsepower, it absolutely blew all the solid state stuff into the weeds. I wouldn't mind giving that all tube Ashdown head a try Just remember though chaps, we all play different basses, and styles, and use different cab combinations, so just because it didn't work for me, doesn't mean that it won't work brilliantly for someone else. One more thought......Who uses Ebay as a crapometer? I always think that if ebay is flooded with a particular brand/model from private sellers, it normally is a good indication to steer clear. EG "I bought this amp a couple of months ago, but due to a change of circumstances......" translation - I bought a lemon, and I need to get shot quick, so I can buy a decent amp before the next gig

Hi Chaps, Just wondered if anyone out there knows what make of strings are fitted to the current Gibson Thunderbird's, or are they Gibson's own?? Sorry if it sounds a silly question, but I really love the sound of it, and it still has its original strings on at the moment

This is a very funny read....... The part about his mate getting whacked around the head with his own false arm after they sneaked into a girl guide camp had me howling!

Yeah, it was Lemmy on guitar and vocals in Sam Gopal's band - and singing rather well!

Sex Pistols - After Glen Matlock left

Can't think of the name of the player.......But, Sam Gopal's "Escalator" album. Wonderful piece of 60's psychedelia, no drums, totally driven along by the bass!! Just some weird guy in the back ground on bongos Awesome bass tone, whoever he was

+1 on that...... I bought my Mrs a Squier Precision special a few years back. Took a little bit of fiddling to get the action right, then loaded it with Seymour Duncan "1/4 Pounders". IMHO, it now sounds better than a USA Precision, and probably cost less than a third of the price I'm not a Fender hater - I have a slight case of GAS for a 70's Jazz, with the block markers, and the ash tray. But Fender over rated? IMHO, yeap. Just can't see where my £1000 pound would have gone into making one......

Any bass amp that has a 1001 knobs, sliders, equalisers, filters, blah blah blah.........They are only there to cover up the fact that the amp is in fact......CRAP But, I suppose they're not boring. You can spend a decade trying to get "that sound", and never come close..... I also have a loathing for a certain English bass gear manufacturers amps......They're cabs are ace, but the amps........Had 2 completely fry the power amp board, due to zero circuit protection. And it's not only me that has had this happen No, I won't name and shame AMPEG?? Not as pricey as some IMHO

+1 for Steve Harris. Awesome player, who always cuts through the mix +1 on the Ampeg thing as well. Tried the rest, then bought the best :brow: Ampeg rules, IMHO

Thanks Chaps Glad my tea making was up to scratch. Absolutely loving the SVT610 Mr Lush. The Mrs wound up telling me to get it shifted so she could watch the telly! I made a lame excuse that it would take me a while, as I have to wait for the "glowing bottles of goodness" to cool down before I can move it :brow: I've took some piccy's of my gear, but I need to host them before I can post? I'll get the mrs on it tonight, as I am mostly a complete technophobe

I have Wino's "puntuated Equilibrium" welded to the car CD player! Come to think of it, that's a pretty fat bass sound on there! I too love The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, Saint Vitus, and The Hidden Hand. Come to think of it, love all the DOOM bands!

COOL!! Someone else who has heard Wino's mighty Spirit Caravan.

Lemmy's bass sound on the Motorhead DVD Boneshaker is killer. Especially on "You Better Run". Even if you hate the Motorhead sound, you have to admit, that bass sound is unique! Also, bit of an obscure one this; Dave Sherman's bass sound on Spirit Caravan's "Jug Fulla Sun" Album. Absolutely huge fat tone from an EB2, that needs measuring on the richter scale!!

I had a big worry on this one with my new Gibson Thunderbird. I ordered it through my local Gibson dealer. The finish was still quite soft when I first took it out the case, and it marked where I had it resting on my jeans! The finish seems to have hardened off a lot now, for some reason. I'll give a big thumbs up for Auto Glym though. I use it on all my basses, with fantastic results. Brings the nitro finish on my EB2, and Tbird up lovely

Another classicaly trained pianist here, that switched to bass. I too heard the calling of "The Devil's music"

Oh yeah, thinking about it, if you are really struggling, nip in to a model shop that specialises in radio control cars. Those guys are normal a dab hand with the soldering iron. Racing RC cars is how I learnt!

Above advice is sound I would recommend making sure that you have a good quality soldering iron. I favour the gas type made by Portosol, that have the interchangable tips. Also make sure that you are using good quality pre fluxed solder. £5 worth of iron + solder from the pound shop won't cut it!! Allow iron to heat up properly. "Tin" the end of the iron with fresh solder. You then need to tin the end of the wire, and the terminal on the pot. For tinning terminals I would recommend placing the iron under the terminal, and then tin the other side, by allowing the heat to travel through the terminal. Don't take too long and melt the pot though! With all parts properly tinned, again place the iron under the terminal, place the wire on top of the terminal, and watch for the solder to melt on the terminal and the wire. Should have a good joint then. For fine work like guitar pots, I would recommend using a small soldering tip. Not a screw driver type that you get on cheap electric irons When you are happy with your solder joint, I would also recommend a small length of heat shrink over the joint. Not only for insulation, but it helps prevent the wire breaking below the solder joint. Hope this helps, and makes sense.

For me the main reason I picked up the bass is thanks to Lemmy, and Cliff Burton Also the reason why I bought a Rickenbacker 4001 as soon as I could afford one. I love Lemmy's guitarist on 4 strings approach to playing bass, and what a sound! He can be quite a tasteful bass player as well, check out the bass solo on a track called "Lost In The Ozone". Cliff burton I have always thought to be a very tasteful player, who new when to support the song, and when to let rip! There's some footage of him on youtube from his previous projects prior to Metallica. Other bass players I dig are; Scott Reeder, Les Claypool, Stanley Clarke, Steve Harris, John Entwistle, Billy Sheehan, Geezer Butler, and numerous others. I think the most important thing is to have fun, and do your own thing.

If you want an easy start, how about some Celtic Frost? "Procreation Of The Wicked" is heavy as hell, standard tuning, and can be played totally on the E string On the "Morbid Tales" album if memory serves me right. Or try some tracks off "To Mega Therion" as they are a little more technical. Or how about some Venom? "Countess Bathory" is fairly easy. Seem to remember its Eb. IMHO, those two bands were the ones who started the whole death metal thing :brow:

Is it just me.....Or does it look like its had a 3 bolt neck put on a four bolt body?? Look closely at the picture of the back of the bass, and use the zoom option Got to be worth £100 quid though!

You can sir! I think that Link Wray is a good example of the guy that you have probably heard some of his songs, but not heard of him! "Rumble" is a killer track. Been featured in plenty of films. Seem to remember it got featured in "Independance Day". Didn't Link Wray's "Ace Of Spades" make it onto "Pulp Fiction" as well? Really sad that he is no longer with us

Yeah, you're right Mr T. If it was a more valuable bass, I would have done it, but it's an ancient P bass copy that I paid the grand total of a tenner for!

Hi, Wizard guitars in Doncastor might be worth a look. I got the headstock decal for my P bass from there, although it is a 70's Fender type one. It was a waterslide decal, which I applied, then allowed a day to dry, then followed up with several light coats of Halfords aerosol clear lacquer. It looks ace, but doesn't stand up to very close inspection, as you can see the outline of the transfer. But only if you look very closely! Hope this helps, Rich

Thanks for the replies chaps I suppose I could remove the string mute, but it would seem a shame, as it's such a lovely original old thing. It still gets used........ Every now and again I like to dig it out, and take it to practice with me. The last band I was in, the drummer hated it, as it used to make his kit rattle horrendously!! There's nothing like an EB2 for some trouser flapping vintage action